News that the government may streamline health and safety law has been welcomed by channel businesses.

Channel companies have welcomed signals that the government is progressing with its investigation into the feasibility of scrapping many health and safety regulations.

UK employment minister Chris Grayling has launched a consultation on health and safety laws which will focus on emphasising the need for people to take responsibility for themselves in a variety of situations. The first changes could be made within a few months.

Rebecca Russell, managing director of specialist quality and safety consultancy Stepping Stones for Business, has today been quoted in this article by CRN, and agrees that current laws can prove burdensome, especially for SMBs and the self-employed. While it remains true that no organisation is risk free when it comes to health and safety, organisational responsibilities must be commensurate with the size of the risk, which will vary according to the type and size of the organisation.

“Currently there are 200 regulations relevant to health and safety,” Russell says. “And my own view is that it is good that they are looking at it.”

Stepping Stones for Business helps organisations navigate their way through what seems at times to be a legal minefield concerning health and safety, as well as providing risk assessments.

Russell says the current laws have sometimes been applied in an unnecessarily heavy-handed way, so – hopefully – a review of the legislation will enable companies to refocus their attention where it matters, both in health and safety terms and on business growth opportunities.

“And it should look at encouraging the people who create the risks to take more responsibility for those risks,” Russell says. “The whole point of health and safety legislation is that it should not stop people enjoying life, or working; it should simply be there to protect them at an appropriate time.”

To read the full article, click here …

This article, by Fleur Doidge, was first published on www.channelweb.co.uk on 14^th December 2011.

Once again, Q Associates has achieved an outstanding report following their ISO9001 audit with NQA their certification body.

The auditor commented that there is a ‘good system of control’ and made ‘a positive recommendation for continued registration’.

Q Associates achieved the ISO9002 quality standard in 1996 and employed Rebecca Russell, founder of Stepping Stones for Business Ltd, on a consultancy basis in 2002 to help them achieve the ISO9001 standard. Rebecca continues to provide quality consultancy and acts as Q Associates’ ‘competent person’ for safety advice through monthly visits to the company.

Jane Sampson, Operations and Business Systems Manager for Q Associates commented: ‘Rebecca keeps us on track with scheduled audits for both ISO9001 and safety. Having regular visits and a second pair of eyes ensures that our quality and safety systems are up-to-date and reflect our current working practices.’

Q Associates is an award winning independent provider of integrated IT infrastructure and data management solutions. They specialise in the design, deployment and management of enterprise computing environments and have extensive experience working within the commercial, public and academic sectors. In partnership with their suppliers, their aim is to deliver maximum value through IT excellence.

Goode International, a marketing agency and long standing client of Stepping Stones for Business (SSFB), has announced its merger with T&T Advertising, part of Clifton Cowley Group, with the new agency branded Goode Communications.

Goode International’s founder and former managing director, Philip Joisce, will take the role of non-executive director at the new agency, with Tom Wood, Ventures Director at Clifton Cowley Group, taking the role of Managing Director.

“With this merger, we are bringing together a highly experienced marketing team with a great heritage in delivering creative and innovative integrated marketing campaigns and specialist communication services,” said Tom Wood, Managing Director of Goode.

“Our integrated thinking across brand development, reputation management and audience engagement, together with our marketing technology strengths, is a potent offering for organisations looking to expand their marketing activity in new directions.” 

Wood also commented on the quality of Goode’s procedures, implemented by Rebecca Russell at SSFB, and how much they helped to speed up due diligence for the merger.

Goode Communications will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Clifton Cowley Group, one of the fastest growing innovation hubs in the UK, which provides technology solutions, intellectual property, finance and marketing services to entrepreneurs, SMEs and global leaders.

The agency will provide creative marketing solutions across emerging technologies and multiple delivery platforms to B2B and B2C organisations, with the combined agency currently supporting organisations across technology, FMCG, education and professional services sectors. Services include strategic marketing, PR, brand development, lead generation, media buying, creative, digital and augmented reality solutions.